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Canadian Evacuation of Beirut Does Not Include Pets

CTV reports that the evacuation of Canadians from Beirut will resume on Sunday when 2,000 citizen board a chartered ship for Cyprus. Evacuees are allowed to bring only one peice of luggage and must leave their pets behind.

Tragically, owners are often forced to leave family pets behind during mandatory evacuations and the current crisis in Lebanon and Israel is no different. That's why IFAW is providing grants to the Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) and NOAH, the umbrella organization for animal welfare in Israel, to help rescue and care for abandoned pets.

There are as many as 40,000 Canadians currently registered with the embassy of Canada in Beirut. To date, 16,000 have already left the country. Would you be able to leave your pet behind, even if it was your only chance at safety?

Comments: 2

Anonymous

7 years ago

I would not leave my pets. I would have gone public with it to everyone and anyone.

Anonymous

11 years ago

I'm Canadian, and although I've lived in the US for many years, I still read a Canadian newspaper every day. The pet angle wasn't covered by conventional news reports of the evacuation, and I wish I'd known about this sooner. I suspect the current Canadian government might not be too sympathetic to animal rights issues, but a letter to the editor of a national newspaper could still help inform some citizens.